Museum becomes sun-driven

SAN ANGELO, Texas - A shady addition to the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts reduces the museum’s energy use while providing an example of solar power for the community.

SAMFA flipped the switch on a solar-powered carport Monday morning, made possible by a $50,000 donation from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.

The 16.5-kilowatt solar array covers 1,200 square feet on top of the carport in the museum parking lot. About 5,900 kilowatt-hours of energy can be produced by the solar panels annually, according to Green Mountain Energy.

The panels tie directly into the museum’s power source, cutting electricity costs around 10 percent, said Howard Taylor, SAMFA director.

“We are trying to be an example in the community in a lot of ways,” Taylor said. “There is nothing but sun here, so it’s a great opportunity to tap into that resource.”

SAMFA has plans to repave the parking lot with environmentally friendly materials to reduce harmful runoff to the Concho River, Howard said.

The Sun Club is a program sponsored by Green Mountain Energy to donate solar power to nonprofit organizations.

More than 600 kilowatts of solar power have been installed since the program began in 2002, preventing more than 924,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to Green Mountain Energy.